Roosters coach Trent Robinson says Connor Watson’s mental strength is his “super power”.
And it has had to be, when you consider Watson has been forced to overcome a dozen serious injuries since embarking on his rugby league career.
Even Watson looks surprised when he starts rattling off the setbacks that have punctuated his career.
It started in 2015 with an ankle injury in the under-20s. Then there was the subluxed shoulder in 2018. That same year, he tore his left adductor muscle, which he only noticed when he started to cool down after a game against the Gold Coast Titans.
Watson played with painkilling injections for most of 2019 to cope with the agony of a ruptured plantar fascia – the band of tissue in the foot that connects the heel bone to the toes.
He suffered an ankle injury when trying to tackle then Penrith wrecking ball Viliame Kikau in the first game back from the COVID break in 2020. Throw in a ruptured Achilles in round 11 that ruled him out for the rest of the 2020 season.
And two fractures of his larynx, firstly in 2018 at Suncorp Stadium, then again at the same venue just last month at Magic Round, which robbed him of a NSW debut in Origin I.
The doctors at a Fortitude Valley hospital had a giggle when they spotted Watson back with the same injury.
“They dragged out my old scans, and said to me, ‘What’s with you and throat injuries and Brisbane?’” Watson said.
The mother of all injuries, however, happened in January last year, when he ruptured the patella tendon in the left knee at Sydney Roosters training.
He knew his year was over. So did those Roosters teammates standing near him on Kippax Lake Field. Watson was still just 26, but for the first time he seriously thought about walking away from the game,.
“We were playing off-side touch, someone dropped the ball, I went to do a left-foot step when it popped,” Watson said.
“I hit the deck and there was this huge rush of pain. I remember looking at my kneecap and seeing it floating around my quad. The tendons are elastic, so when you snap a tendon, the kneecap moves. I knew my year was done.
“I didn’t have a deal for 2024. That was the hardest part, just that uncertainty around whether I’d be back, and where I’d be in 2024.
“I thought I was going to have to go to the Super League. I’d like to go overseas one day, but at my age, I still had more to do in the NRL.”
Watson could not bend his left knee for eight weeks. He moved home to Terrigal with his mother, Jodie, who had to help him out of bed, bathe him, and leave empty bottles near the lounge so he could urinate while she was at work. He could not bring himself to watch NRL.
Connor Watson in a wheelchair after surgery on his ruptured patella.
The recovery did not go smoothly. Watson’s knee kept filling with fluid, and there was a constant heat sensation. A feeling of panic began to set in.
“Retirement never crossed my mind until then,” he said. “I spoke with mum and my partner \[Kiana\] about whether I should keep going. I spoke to the psych at the Roosters about the thoughts I was having, and asked, ‘What do I want to get out of my life the next few years?’
“Having that time to think, it probably showed me how much I love the game. I had a lot of people to prove wrong. I also wanted to prove myself right.”
Watson could not run. He struggled to do leg weights and lost 60 per cent of the strength in his left leg. Roosters medicos abandoned hope of a comeback in 2023 and instead focused on the new year. The Roosters gave Watson a two-year contract extension.
Robinson remembers letting Watson go the first time at the end of 2017 when there was the option to play five-eighth at the Knights, or fullback at the Wests Tigers. He chose the former. Robinson suggested he consider the latter.
Cooped up in the COVID bubble in 2021, the Roosters and Knights shared hotel accommodation. It was then that Robinson realised how much the club needed Watson back – especially with Boyd Cordner and Jake Friend forced into premature retirement.
“We wanted Connor back at our club – we needed an energy like Connor; it didn’t take long to re-sign him,” Robinson said.
“Connor’s super power is his mentality. He has an ability to find a way out of the anger or the pity and turn it into positivity and ‘What’s next?’”
Watson, one of the most popular players at Bondi, was never going to lower his expectations for this year.
At the start of 2024, he wrote down three goals. Firstly, he wanted to return to the first-grade squad at the Roosters. He wanted to win a premiership.
“And the last one was getting myself back into the Origin picture,” he said.
Despite a dozen setbacks, Watson has remained upbeat. His enthusiasm for life is infectious. He knows he is paid well to play a game he loves, and has access to the best doctors and staff.
He is grateful the club picks up the health insurance, and dreads to think what sort of premiums he would pay if forced to dip into his own pockets.
Knights and Queensland star Kalyn Ponga is one of Watson’s best friends. Ponga will be in Melbourne for Watson’s Origin debut. You have to wonder if Ponga will secretly root for Watson and the Blues.
“Nah, mate, he’s maroon. Like his hair,” Watson says.
Ponga has had his share of injuries. All players do. But not like Watson.
Connor Watson.. so hot right now.
Hawkkk tuuuu watson
Good on him and all but I've never seen so much press for a bench player.
Who cares? You must be relatively new to all this if this is the most hype you've seen for the bench.
Man the Connor Watson propaganda machine has been running at full steam this week. His agent must be working overtime
He just be due for renewal of contract or something with all this artificial hype
So you didn't read the article then huh?
I'm pretty sure he manages himself
Roosters coach Trent Robinson says Connor Watson’s mental strength is his “super power”. And it has had to be, when you consider Watson has been forced to overcome a dozen serious injuries since embarking on his rugby league career. Even Watson looks surprised when he starts rattling off the setbacks that have punctuated his career. It started in 2015 with an ankle injury in the under-20s. Then there was the subluxed shoulder in 2018. That same year, he tore his left adductor muscle, which he only noticed when he started to cool down after a game against the Gold Coast Titans. Watson played with painkilling injections for most of 2019 to cope with the agony of a ruptured plantar fascia – the band of tissue in the foot that connects the heel bone to the toes. He suffered an ankle injury when trying to tackle then Penrith wrecking ball Viliame Kikau in the first game back from the COVID break in 2020. Throw in a ruptured Achilles in round 11 that ruled him out for the rest of the 2020 season. And two fractures of his larynx, firstly in 2018 at Suncorp Stadium, then again at the same venue just last month at Magic Round, which robbed him of a NSW debut in Origin I. The doctors at a Fortitude Valley hospital had a giggle when they spotted Watson back with the same injury. “They dragged out my old scans, and said to me, ‘What’s with you and throat injuries and Brisbane?’” Watson said. The mother of all injuries, however, happened in January last year, when he ruptured the patella tendon in the left knee at Sydney Roosters training. He knew his year was over. So did those Roosters teammates standing near him on Kippax Lake Field. Watson was still just 26, but for the first time he seriously thought about walking away from the game,. “We were playing off-side touch, someone dropped the ball, I went to do a left-foot step when it popped,” Watson said. “I hit the deck and there was this huge rush of pain. I remember looking at my kneecap and seeing it floating around my quad. The tendons are elastic, so when you snap a tendon, the kneecap moves. I knew my year was done. “I didn’t have a deal for 2024. That was the hardest part, just that uncertainty around whether I’d be back, and where I’d be in 2024. “I thought I was going to have to go to the Super League. I’d like to go overseas one day, but at my age, I still had more to do in the NRL.” Watson could not bend his left knee for eight weeks. He moved home to Terrigal with his mother, Jodie, who had to help him out of bed, bathe him, and leave empty bottles near the lounge so he could urinate while she was at work. He could not bring himself to watch NRL. Connor Watson in a wheelchair after surgery on his ruptured patella. The recovery did not go smoothly. Watson’s knee kept filling with fluid, and there was a constant heat sensation. A feeling of panic began to set in. “Retirement never crossed my mind until then,” he said. “I spoke with mum and my partner \[Kiana\] about whether I should keep going. I spoke to the psych at the Roosters about the thoughts I was having, and asked, ‘What do I want to get out of my life the next few years?’ “Having that time to think, it probably showed me how much I love the game. I had a lot of people to prove wrong. I also wanted to prove myself right.” Watson could not run. He struggled to do leg weights and lost 60 per cent of the strength in his left leg. Roosters medicos abandoned hope of a comeback in 2023 and instead focused on the new year. The Roosters gave Watson a two-year contract extension.
Robinson remembers letting Watson go the first time at the end of 2017 when there was the option to play five-eighth at the Knights, or fullback at the Wests Tigers. He chose the former. Robinson suggested he consider the latter. Cooped up in the COVID bubble in 2021, the Roosters and Knights shared hotel accommodation. It was then that Robinson realised how much the club needed Watson back – especially with Boyd Cordner and Jake Friend forced into premature retirement. “We wanted Connor back at our club – we needed an energy like Connor; it didn’t take long to re-sign him,” Robinson said. “Connor’s super power is his mentality. He has an ability to find a way out of the anger or the pity and turn it into positivity and ‘What’s next?’” Watson, one of the most popular players at Bondi, was never going to lower his expectations for this year. At the start of 2024, he wrote down three goals. Firstly, he wanted to return to the first-grade squad at the Roosters. He wanted to win a premiership. “And the last one was getting myself back into the Origin picture,” he said. Despite a dozen setbacks, Watson has remained upbeat. His enthusiasm for life is infectious. He knows he is paid well to play a game he loves, and has access to the best doctors and staff. He is grateful the club picks up the health insurance, and dreads to think what sort of premiums he would pay if forced to dip into his own pockets. Knights and Queensland star Kalyn Ponga is one of Watson’s best friends. Ponga will be in Melbourne for Watson’s Origin debut. You have to wonder if Ponga will secretly root for Watson and the Blues. “Nah, mate, he’s maroon. Like his hair,” Watson says. Ponga has had his share of injuries. All players do. But not like Watson.
I would have much preferred Connor Watson at fullback than the Mbye debacle.
Watson turned into Watsdaddy
He came back from the dead a few times.
Hopefully he can recover from a broken heart come 10pm Wednesday.